Moving deeper into the complex, you move across a swaying wooden bridge, and find a metal room with chains along the walls. There are more and more bodies of the gray creatures on the grounds.
Uriah continues to hear the same thoughts as you walk. You also can feel something staring at you.
" More and more bodies, strewn everywhere.. Was it a disease? Or some genocidal fight? Was it a civil war? There shouldnt be this many dead creatures like this unless some other adventurers came through and there would be much more gore about or signs of spell usage. "
Yvell looks under some of the bodies and the room until going further in.
"In my opinion, this is a place that should be cleansed in fire.. Sometimes I do envy the power of wizards. Whatever sins that happened here should be forgotten, as the piled bodies of a battlefield pyre."
" We can achieve that afterward, I believe Dinvaya said this place was to be destroyed. So we can see if there is something useful before burning the entire thing to smolders, Muga. "
"Excellent."
Yvell doesn't find anything underneath the bodies except for dried blood, and cracked, broken floors.
Aeron moves over to examine some of the chains. She even goes as far as tugging on them to see how well they are anchored to the walls, though she very carefully wraps the chains in a blanket to keep the noise level down. After a bit, she moves over to some of the bodies to inspect their wounds. She was no healer or medic, so she could not offer any definitive diagnosis for cause of death, instead she looked for any over or obvious wounds that could have proven fatal.
Yvell seeing there isnt much goes to other rooms as so far it ha been prove fruitless. " I suppose there isnt much here, I'll examine the rest of the perimeter inside this place and if it comes up with nothing then we can simply burn it down. "
Yvell starts exploring.. the entire complex.
Aeron knows the creatures are chokers, underground aberrations that strangle their prey with long tentacle claws.
Chokers. But why chokers. And so many. Aeron looks up toward Yvell, the words coming out in a whisper. Something seemed more wrong than Some mass grave or genocidal massacre. Yvell saw nothing here but there was something they were missing. Some sort of pattern or reasoning they were not seeing.
Yvell was right though. Not much could be garnered from this room alone. She rose once more and took a fard look around before following the others.
" The name Chokers is foreboding, however.. they have been decimated somehow. What is that which can choke out Chokers.. or as I thought.. was there a dispute? "
That is just it though. Chokers are predators. Ambushers, but predators nonetheless. With that in mind, think of it. Ambush oriented predators hunt alone in small packs. What do you see around you. A horde of creatures that are experts at stealth laying dead in droves. Which brings me to my next point. Whatever got them is either far more adept at stealth than an expert or is so powerful it lures them out as an easy target to kill them. And in these numbers...
The end of the sentence was finished by the draw oh her sword and heavy crossbow. She looked about once more wishing she had prepaired another glitterdust spell for their mysterious stalker, for she hoped stealthy theory was correct and not the latter. Or gods forbid, both theories were true. She looked over to Uriah and watched his focused gaze. As much as she did not want ro break his concentration, she wanted him to place the mage armor enchantment on the two of them.
" Aeron there is always, ALWAYS a bigger predator. That is why I am still careful even now. "
Something still lurks here unseen...I sense its thoughts. It means us harm, of this I feel very certain.
Her gaze settles on Valtyra.
Priestess. Can you determine cause of death? Maybe it will alert us to one of the methods of attack held by this thing that means us harm.
Aeron and Valtyra look at the chokers. They seem to be dead without any physical scarring, cuts or puncture wounds.
You spend several minutes moving through the complex and reach a strange stone that was shaped in a familiar claw-like monument now broken into a circular "nest". There are several bodies of chokers scattered about the room.
As you enter this large room, some of the bodies stir. They were definitely not dead. One of them speaks in Undercommon. "Grah blu damok. Hellion ja doom na kath."
They growl.
1. Uriah, Muga, Phylla
2. Enemies
3. Aeron, Valtyra, Yvell
" Anyone understand what they were saying?... They do not seem .. friendly. Phylla get ready to defend yourself if need be. "
Uriah draws his wand and hurls a spot of grease down at the feet of the Chokers.
"You know, I'd give some line about how you guys have no chance and should surrender, but.... Language barrier saves the day again!"
The two gray creatures remain on their feet.
Muga moves to the nearest creature and slashes through it with his nodachi. It screeches as it falls down.
"I don't think tentacle creatures should be fighting each other. You get tangled and twisted together." Phylla sends. She touches Yvell on the shoulder, "But you can do it. You're strong, Yvell-servant. I'll step in if you need my assistance."
Phylla seems to glow as she blesses Yvell with her nobility.
A mass of tentacles from the chokers assault Aeron and Muga. These tentacles slap at Aeron and Muga, wrapping around their necks.
Yvell nods to Phylla as he feels her blessing overcome his form. It was as if an angel of Ragathiel himself has improved his being. At the sight of both Muga and Aeron being wrapped, Yvell moves up where he is between two chokers and diagonally upward slashes at the one holding Aeron down first.
" Muga is strong, Free Aeron then move to Muga "
Yvell cuts through the choker, blood flying up and to the ceiling. It falls limply to the ground.
Uriah uses the wand again and greases a different area.
Val moves up to the one attacking Aeron swinging her mace.
"Awww.... The cute little abominations think that ganging up will help them..." Muga deflects the flurry of tentacle attacks, but then notices as one glances as Yvell in concern at the death Yvell was dealing to his comrade. Muga was not one not to take advantage of the situation, raising his sword skyward in the opening to slash down with overwhelming force at the distracted Choker.
Aeron lets out a gasp as the choker's grip loosens and hor the first time any of them have ever seen, she actually looks enraged. She darts to the east deftly turning herself behind Val their backs brusshing oneanother's like a breeze whispering through a field of grass, but the moment her feet touch the grease she jams her sword into the ground just before one foot and kicks the north wall hard skidding the last five feet to the choker (purple) using the grease and her kicks momentum to send her into a balanced spinning slash.
The two chokers fall apart from Aeron, Valtyra and Muga's attacks. As soon as they fall, you all see small tentacles from the northern door and fly away quickly.
Yvell, seeing this and still somewhat embolden by Phylla's gift brings the sight to attention. " Did anyone else see that? I presume whatever it was might be what was causing all the Chokers to die.. as it's tentacles did not look the same. Follow me, we can't give it too much time to run. " Yvell begins to pursue around the Grease splatters ad through the northern door.
Uriah follows, and if he gets within 35' of whatever it is and it will not stop fleeing he attempts to stop it with his mind.
"Right right." Muga follows, not really at full speed, giving himself time to carefully skirt the grease and refill his sheath's powder.